Moms Can’t Be the Master of it All, Even on Family Game Night

The simplicity of playing a game has endless benefits. More than just fun, games involve problem-solving, reasoning and collaboration. This is why games are more than mere child’s play, especially for budding young learners.

Now, I could go on and on about how kids learn to become their own social and emotional beings or why games have great benefits in various atmospheres. But you know what? There may be some common ground that you and I can stand on.

Because maybe there’s something you’ve never admitted to another soul – that you really don’t understand the games kids play these days.

I know, it’s shocking to admit!

I’m not talking about video games or even sports, just regular board games. There are some games so advanced in their complexities that they’re baffling, but I could never admit that to my family on game night. It’s better I just tell you here in a countywide article that will be shared on the internet, right?

Maybe you look at these games and their elaborate instructions and say, “What in the world?!” I remember when Monopoly was the zenith of complexity and Candy Land or Sorry! were standard challenge games. Where did they go?

It’s further baffling to me that my children seem to speed through all of the instructions while I’m still stuck at the first step. Family game night is planned and ready to go, but Mom never seems to arrive at the fun part. So, what’s missing?

In a conversation with a dear friend, I discovered that I’m not the only mother frustrated by an inability to catch up while playing a game with my family. We laughed and cried in a swirl of anguish and joy over the fact that we just feel remedial, to put it mildly. In retrospect, the amount of laughing and crying we did in this moment was both hilarious and cathartic.

Her kids are much older than mine and my children remind her of the yesteryears. We painted a dynamic picture with our descriptions of games we still don’t understand over cups of coffee that day. I felt a little less ridiculous hearing her relate to my game day nerves. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I guess Mom can’t be the master at everything!” she said, something simply stated and absolutely true.

We found ourselves circling the drain toward the same conclusion: It was the time spent with our families that was the gold of the moment, even if we were hopelessly lost on the board.

We didn’t really come to a great resolution that day; we just enjoyed sharing stories about our “fake it til’ you make it” moments. The conversation took a turn to other things we thought we understood more, and we laughed at them even more. It was a relief to be winning at parenthood just by not being so great at something else.

I told her how my yoga session was interrupted the next day as I went into my downward dog position, only to see the game that dumbfounded me the night before on the table. The game and I had a whole moment, and I gave it a few of my words.

So today, I admit to not being the master of our most recently introduced board games, like a friend sharing a story with you on the porch. The hope is that you’ve enjoyed my take on that, and it causes you to pause in the grocery line or during your workday, like a deep, cleansing breath.

Whatever your springtime goals or plans, know you’ve got other mommas out there making the impossible happen, while going on adventures with their kids they may not even understand.

Let’s see how long it takes me to learn the next new game, because when I do win I will never let my kids live it down!

Diamone Ukegbu is a local Little Haiti artist, creative, mom and wife.